Kirito's Harem
by Metatron's Prophet
Summary: The hero Kirito is sent to another world by the demon king, without any of his memories. Now he must help the Shrine Priestess Tomoe win the Queen's Blade to protect Hinomoto. Along the way, he meets other female warriors that develop feelings for him, and come to his aid.
1. Part 1

Prologue

Kirito was about had defeated the demon king and was about to save the love of his life.

Princess Asuna was being held prisoner in a cage behind the demon king's throne. Using his sword, Kirito tried to cut the cage apart. However, the instant his blade touched the bars, he was suddenly frozen. His limbs would not move a centimeter. Shortly after, his body began to fade away. He demanded the dying demon king to tell him what was happening. The demon king laughed.

"You may have defeated me, but you will not have your true love." He snarled. "I surrounded her cage with a curse that will send to another world. Oh, and you will go to this other world with no memories of your life here."

The demon king then died laughing.

Kirito reached out to his love Asuna through the bars of the cage. While holding hands, they kissed. Just as they finished, Kirito vanished completely.

Chapter 1

A boy fell straight through the roof of the Shrine Priestess' temple in the afternoon.

In Hinomoto, an island nation, there are a group of powerful female warriors known as the Shrine Priestesses. Their leader Tomoe was simply practicing her swordsmanship, when a teenage boy in a black coat comes crashing through the roof. At first, she just stood there in confusion. Then the boy stood up, and she noticed the sword in his hand. In an instant, she had her sword against his throat.

"Identify yourself!" Tomoe said in commanding voice.

The boy, still recovering from falling through the roof, did not even notice her. His head felt like a drum the still being used. His vision was blurry. He started to fall backwards. Tomoe tried to catch him, but stumbled and fell on top of him. Seconds later, her comrades burst into the room, having heard the boy fall through the roof. When they got there, they were quite confused by what they saw.

Their leader was laying on top of an unconscious boy.

Tomoe quickly straightened the matter out. Then she took the boy to the infirmary, and took care of him for an hour. In that time, she moved the boy's sword to a far corner of the room. She also studied the boy's appearance. He wore a black coat that matched his black hair, and he carried his sword's sheath on his back. After that hour, he awoke. The first thing he saw was Tomoe's sword raised at his head. Not the kind of thing someone wants to awake to.

"Who are you?" Tomoe asked politely.

"Kirito." He answered as he moved her sword away from his face

"Why did you fall through the roof the Shrine Priestesses training hall?" Tomoe asked.

"I don't remember." Kirito replied. "Other than my name, I remember nothing."

Tomoe looked into the boy's eyes as he spoke. She had been taught to be able to tell when someone is lying simply by looking in their eyes. So she believed him. Besides, he had received a blow to the head when fell through the roof.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"My name is Tomoe." She replied. "I am the leader of the Shrine Priestesses of Hinomoto. You caused quite a commotion this morning when you nearly landed on top of me."

"My apologizes." Kirito said with an apologetic bow.

Kirito glanced at the sword in the corner.

"Is that mine?" He asked.

"Well, you had with you fell through the roof before." Tomoe replied.

He went and picked it up. It was a black sword with a double-edge. The sword's weight felt perfect to him. Just for fun, he swung it a few times. Then, almost instinctively, he put it in the sheath on his back. Tomoe was staring at him.

"Have you studied swordsmanship?" Tomoe asked.

"I honestly do not know." He replied. "But, the feeling of this sword in my hand, to me it just seems right."

"Then you must have studied swordsmanship before." She said. "What your describing is your body's memory of holding that blade."

"You mean because I wielded this sword before, holding it now feels familiar to me?" Kirito guessed.

"Exactly." Tomoe replied.

"Could it help me regain my memories?" Kirito asked in an eager voice.

"Perhaps, if we have a sword fight." Tomoe said. "How about it?"

Kirito felt a slight uncertainty. He did not want to be injured in a fight, but still wanted his memories back. So, he weighed how much he wanted those things in his mind.

"Okay." He said, but then he groaned do to a pain in his chest.

"Sorry, I forgot you were injured." Tomoe said, helping him back into bed.

"Tomorrow I will be well enough." Kirito said.

"I believe you will be." Tomoe spoke with both compassion and power. "However, until then, you need your rest. Understood?"

"Yes." Kirito said reluctantly.

He wanted his memories back very deeply. There was this feeling inside him that he needed to be somewhere. Well, it was not exactly that. More like there was someone he needed to _get _to.

That night, he did not sleep a wink. Instead, he stared at his sword.

"Not sleeping will lower your overall performance tomorrow." Tomoe said.

She had come to check on him. She wore the same red and white outfit she had been wearing earlier.

"It's not like it will be a test." Kirito said.

"Well, you may be right." She replied. "However, I would like to fight you at your best."

"Do you think I am that good?" He asked, though he sounded like he was bragging.

"I prefer to fight all my opponents when they are at their best." Tomoe said proudly. "It helps to show I am a formidable warrior."

"So, what is this place?" Kirito asked. "I forgot to ask earlier."

"This is the temple that belongs to the Shrine Priestesses of Hinomoto." She replied. "We are a group of elite female warriors, sworn to protect Hinomoto."

From the way she spoke, it was clear that took great pride in that fact.

"How long have you been a Shrine Priestess?" Kirito asked.

"All my life." Tomoe said. "I was left of the steps of the temple as a baby."

"I am sorry to hear that." Kirito said.

"Don't be." Tomoe said. "If I had not been left there, I would not be who I am today."

"How do you feel about being a Shrine Priestess?" Kirito asked.

"It is wonderful." Tomoe smiled. "Being a Shrine Priestess, I am able to truly protect this beautiful country. Now, I believe that is enough questions for tonight. Get some sleep."

"Alright." Kirito replied.

He did actually manage to get some sleep. About five minutes worth. Suddenly, he was awoken by the sound of an explosion. Instantly, he jumped out of bed and grabbed his sword. Quickly, he ran through the hallways to the source of the explosion. He needed to make sure no one was hurt. The source of the explosion was the training hall, which had now been engulfed by flames. Kirito had no idea what could have caused this destruction. Then he heard a terrible shriek coming from above him. When he looked up, he saw a black dragon. It had a long neck, red eyes, large bat-like wings, a tail, and three pairs of talons.

"Everyone, battlestations!" Someone yelled.

The person who yelled was Tomoe. She held a katana in her right hand. It seems she quickly took charge of the situation. Some of the Shrine Priestess were helping the wounded, while the rest were aiming their arrows. However, none of the arrows could reach the dragon. When the monster opened its mouth, fire burst from it. Few Shrine Priestesses were able to take cover from the flames.

"Tomoe!" Kirito called out to her.

She did not hear him. Her sword was beginning to glow. Once the light became almost blinding, she swung it in the direction of the dragon. The light separated from the blade and headed towards the dragon with tremendous speed. This light collided with the beast's right wing. It came crashing to the ground. Unfortunately, it crushed one of the Shrine Priestess buildings when it landed. Tomoe ran in the direction of the dragon, planning to finish it off. Kirito followed her.

Just before they reached it, the dragon stood up. Its eyes were fixated of Tomoe. The monster shot a fire-ball from its mouth right at her. Using the light from her sword, she created a shield that protected her from the fire-ball. However, then the monster slammed its tail on top of her shield. The shield shattered in pieces that quickly turned into nothing. Tomoe was hit by the tail.

Kirito ran straight to her. He oddly felt no fear for the dragon. Something inside him told him he could defeat it. When he pointed the tip of his sword at it, he found out why. A beam of purple light shot from his sword. Not a small beam. In fact, this beam of light was as large as the dragons head. The purple light tore the dragons body in half. Once the purple light faded, the the dragon's body became a cloud of smoke the was scattered by the wind.

After it was completely gone, Kirito ran to check on Tomoe. Her shoulder was bleeding, and she appeared to be having trouble breathing. Kirito desperately wanted to help her. To him, she was the only friend he had. That is when he heard a voice. It was not a voice, exactly. More like a thought inside his mind that was not his.

_Place the sword on her wound, _the voice said.

For some reason, he did exactly what the voice told him. Carefully, he placed his sword on top of her chest. Suddenly, it began to glow with a purple light. Her wound healed almost instantly, and her expression became relieved. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

"Kirito?" She said.

"Don't worry, Tomoe." He said. "You will be okay."

"How did you kill that dragon?" Tomoe asked as her strength returned.

"I'm not sure." He replied.

The next day, a carriage arrived at the temple, along with two dozen soldiers.

Kirito was there to greet them with Tomoe. He noticed something odd. All of them were female. Every soldier was a women. That was when he realized that in Hinomoto, women must make most of the military and are more common as soldiers than men. This fact felt weird to him. It was like part of him believed this should not be. However, he said nothing about this feeling. He was pretty sure it would be rude.

Another woman emerged from the carriage. She looked about seventeen, long white hair, and emerald eyes. Her clothes consisted of a beautiful blue dress, and a golden crown with red jewels. Kirito may have been a stranger to Hinomoto, but he could recognize an important person when he saw one. His first impression was that she would be very mature and civilized.

"Tomoe!" She yelled as she ran to her.

The woman gave Tomoe hug and lifted her at the same time. Apparently, she was much stronger than she appeared.

"I missed you, I missed you, I missed you!" She repeated.

When she finally let go of Tomoe, she turned her attention to Kirito.

"Who's this?!" She seemed shocked by Kirito's presence. "Don't tell me . . . He's your boyfriend!"

Kirito seriously misjudged her. Well, you can not judge a book by its cover.

"No, he's not!" Tomoe said, with a blushing face. "Stop jumping to conclusions Maya!"

It was surprising to see Tomoe so off-balance. In all the time that Kirito had known her (even though that was not long) she always seemed mature and prepared for anything.

"Okay, but you better not be lying." Maya said with a smile.

Once that was over, the Maya girl was lead inside the temple by Tomoe. They went to a room was a vast number of sword and spears on the wall. Maya sat at one end of the room, in a red chair. While Tomoe and Kirito sat at the other end of the room, on their knees.

"I am here about last night's attack." Maya said.

When she spoke, she had this new seriousness in her voice. Her expression also changed. It was as if she turned off of of her childish desires in a second.

"Who was behind that atrocious act?!" Tomoe asked. "Many of my comrades died in that attack."

"It would seem Queen Aldra of Gemini was the one who ordered that attack." Maya said. "She sent a messenger to us saying we are to unconditionally surrender to her. That Hinomoto must become a part of her country, or she will send more monsters like the one you vanquished."

"Actually, I was not the one who vanquished that beast." Tomoe said. "That honor belongs to Kirito."

"Is this true?" Maya asked, doing the best to suppress her surprise.

"Yes." Kirito answered. "It was nothing. Really."

"There is no need to be modest." Tomoe said. "You not only defeated the dragon, but you also saved my life."

"I am disappointed in you, Tomoe." Maya said. "You are the leader of the Shrine Priestesses. You must be able to defeat any enemy you face with no help from anyone. How can you be relied on if you need the help of a _man._"

Kirito could not believe what he was hearing. She was disappointed in Tomoe for failing, despite her trying her best and nearly dying. That did not sit well with Kirito.

"I apologize for my-"

"Don't you dare apologize!" Kirito cut in.

Both Tomoe and Maya looked completely shocked.

"You want her to apologize for fighting and almost dying to protect her comrades and this country!?" Kirito was not about to let this continue. "She has no reason to apologize for that! Yes, she needed my help, but no one is perfect!"

"If I had not interfered, she would probably be dead right now." Kirito said. "No one can be expected to fight every battle alone, no matter how strong they are. Everyone needs help at some point."

He had expected Maya to be angry, but she was not. Instead, she smiled.

"Well, I see you have met a wonderful new comrade, Tomoe." Maya said.

Tomoe did not seem to hear her. She was staring at Kirito. At the same time, she was blushing. Never in her life had someone stood up for her. All her life, she was forced to do it herself. This was the first time someone spoke out for her, and against the ruler of Hinomoto, no less. It was a pleasant feeling. Thinking back, he jumped right into danger to protect her. Tomoe was also starting to notice how handsome Kirito was.

"Is something wrong, Tomoe?" Kirito asked when he saw she was staring at him.

"No, nothing's wrong!" She said, quickly turning away.

Kirito was confused by this.

"Tomoe, we would like you to journey to Gemini for us." Maya said. "You see, the annual Queen's Blade tournament is going to begin soon."

"The what?" Kirito asked.

"In the country of Gemini, there a tournament every four years to decide the next queen." Maya answered. "If Tomoe wins, then Gemini will become part of Hinomoto, and the situation will be resolved."

"Makes sense." Kirito said.

"Will you do this, Tomoe?" Maya asked.

"Of course." She replied. "It is my duty as the leader of Hinomoto's Shrine Priestesses."

She then bowed respectfully to Maya.

"We have arranged transportation for you." Maya said. "Your departure is tonight. There are horses waiting for you outside."

"Thank you, Lady Maya." Tomoe said.

"One more thing, you may take one warrior with you." Maya said. "Who do you choose?"

Tomoe turned to Kirito, and asked, "Will you come with me?"

That was a shock to him. He was sure she would choose one of her long time comrades. Not someone she just met.

"Of course." Kirito said. "You are the only friend I have. Or know of."

Tomoe smiled.

"Well then, it is time to leave." Tomoe said.

"Alright." Kirito said.

Shortly after that, they left on horseback. When they were out of sight, Maya prayed for their safe return.

Chapter 2

Their journey across the sea was going great, until they were attacked pirates.

Tomoe and Kirito rode on horseback for two days, then got on a ship headed for Gemini. It was a large wooden vessel, with yellow paint and the name "Arthur" painted on the side. There were three other passengers besides them, three men wearing ragged clothing. They did not say anything to Kirito and Tomoe during the entire journey. The journey was rather boring. Nothing interesting happened at first.

Things changed on the third night, things changed. Kirito had been sleeping when the sudden violent vibrations woke him up. Tomoe was sleeping a few feet away from him. She seemed to be having a pleasant dream, because she had a smile on her face. Kirito decided to leave her alone, and went to investigate on his own. It was rude to wake someone up when you did not have a good reason.

On the deck, there were pirates with swords, and the crew had been tied up. They appeared to all be men. All of them were pretty ugly. He did not see another ship nearby that they could have boarded from. The he heard a shout, coming from above him.

When he looked up, Kirito saw a ship hovering in the air, right above their ship. There ropes coming down from that the pirates must have used to get onboard their ship. Someone was coming down one of the ropes with great speed. A woman with long pink hair, tan skin, and a sword in her hand. She wore a black leather jacket and a black hat. Her feet were bare. From her appearance, Kirito guessed she was about eighteen.

"Well, well, looks like you missed the passengers below deck." The woman said.

"Sorry, captain." One of the men said.

"No worries." She said. "I think you can handle a bunch of peasants, like this boy."

Kirito drew his sword. The pirates laughed. Clearly they did not take him seriously. That made him angry. One of the pirates charged at him with his sword. With one swing of his sword, Kirito was able to break the pirate's sword and leave a cut on his face. The guy ran away screaming. Then, three of them attacked Kirito at once. He stopped there swords with his own, and kicked two of them in the gut and punched the last one in the face.

"Stay back, men!" The pink haired woman shouted. "Clearly, this one is an accomplished fighter."

Her men backed away to the edge of the ship. Only the woman and Kirito remained in the center. The woman lifted her sword in Kirito's direction, with a smirk on her face.

"Hopefully, you can put up a good fight." She said. "As a warriors courtesy, I will tell you my name. I am the Pirate Princess, Amelia."

"I am Kirito." He said to return the courtesy.

After that, Amelia attacked Kirito with quick and powerful strikes. Kirito had some difficulty dodging them, however, he managed it. This was shocking the the female pirate captain. No one, not even the fiercest female warriors she had faced could keep up with her speed and power. Yet, this boy was holding his own against her. Her crew were also surprised, which was not good for her. The men that served under her did so because of her strength as a warrior. If they began to doubt she was powerful, they would abandon her.

Kirito noticed her anger. He could tell from her expression and the fact that her attacks her coming quicker and harder. Something had made her mad, but he did not know what. Had he done something? Nothing came to mind.

Suddenly, there fight was interrupted by a giant sea monster. The creature was banging against itself the boat. It was an octopus, with eight tentacles that had a mouth and razor sharp teeth at the end of each. The creature's head was like a huge, blue, squishy ball, with two big yellow eyes between it and the tentacles. As if one sea monster was not enough, more appeared. They were much smaller than the big one, and resembled frogs with spikes coming out of their backs. Their eyes were big and red. When one of the pirates attacked them, them whipped him with their tongues at him. On their tongues was a venom that paralyzed him.

"No one hurts my crew!" Amelia shouted in anger.

She turned her attention back to Kirito for a second, and said, "I am afraid we will have to postpone our duel."

Then she went to help her comrades. This was surprising to Kirito. He believed pirates were nothing more than thieves that did not care much for one another. However, it appears he was wrong, at least with Amelia. Moved by her courage and desire to protect her crew, Kirito went to help her.

His help came just in time, because one of the frog creature was about to use its tongue to paralyze her from behind. Using his sword, Kirito cut off the tip of the tongue before it reached Amelia. Then he pointed the tip of his sword at the creature, like he had with the dragon. Like before, a beam of purple light burst from the sword, but it was smaller this time. The frog was vaporized instantly. All the other frogs turned their attention to them.

"What are you doing?" Amelia asked in confusion.

"Helping you protect your crew." Kirito said with a smile. "That is what you want to do, right?"

"How do you know I'm just protecting my crew because I don't want to spend time getting a new crew?" Amelia asked.

"Because it would be easier to find a new crew, than to fight sea monsters." Kirito replied.

Amelia could not believe it. To her it was if he had read her mind. True, she was doing this to protect her crew, because they were like family to her. That is the what they had meant to her since she was banished from her home country as a little girl.

Once, Amelia was a princess of the country, Gemini. When the thirteenth Queen's Blade, her mother lost to Aldra, and had her entire family banished to separate countries. Each person to another country. Amelia became a poor girl starving on the streets. Then, the pirates former captain found her. He took her in, and taught her sword fighting. He had been a second father to her. As he became ill, she was made captain, and continued to be after he passed away. However, she believed they would abandon her the second they believed she was not as strong as they thought she was.

One of the giant sea creature's tentacles wrapped around Amelia's body. It picked her up and moved it towards its mouth. Looks like it intended to eat her. Kirito was to preoccupied with the frogs that he could not come to her aid. She screamed for help.

"Captain!" The crew shouted.

Apparently, they realized that they would never be able to fight against the giant octopus, so they charged at the frogs. That gave Kirito the chance to attack the monster. Instead of pointing his sword at the creature and shooting a purple beam of light from it, he focused his will into the blade itself. This made the blade glow purple. When he swung it in the direction of the monster, a crescent shaped light came off the blade and flew straight the monster. The creature was cut in half. Its corpse began to sink into the ocean. Amelia was still wrapped in its tentacle, so she began to sink with it. However, she managed to cut her way out of it just in time.

"Thank you, everyone!" Amelia had a huge smile on her face and a cheerful voice.

Which is strange, considering she was covered in fish guts. The crew went to clean their captain. She pushed pass them and hugged Kirito.

"Thank you for saving me." She whispered into his ear. "You are a truly good man."

Kirito could feel face blushing. Then he heard a familiar voice call out his name. It was Tomoe.

"Kirito?" She had just woken up.

That was truly astonishing. She had somehow managed sleep through the whole battle. When she saw Kirito being hugged by Amelia, she instantly became wide awake.

"What the heck is going on!?" Tomoe shouted.

Angry, she drew her sword. Quickly, she put some distance between them. This angered Amelia, causing her to draw her sword. It looked like they were going to fight.

"Who do you think you are!?" Amelia shouted at Tomoe.

"I was about to ask you that!" Tomoe shouted back at her.

"Um, please stop." Kirito said, not really thinking.

"Who is she!?" The two girls asked simultaneously.

"Uh, Tomoe, this is Amelia, and Amelia, this is Tomoe." Kirito introduced them.

The two already seemed to dislike each other. Kirito told Tomoe about the battle that had just transpired. Once he finished, he told Amelia about how Tomoe was a comrade of Kirito.

"I seriously slept through all that!?" Tomoe was shocked.

"Yes, you did." Kirito said.

"Huh, guess you prefer to sleep than fight." Amelia said.

Tomoe showed her an angry look, when Kirito was not looking.

"Well, at least I'm not covered in fish guts." Tomoe said.

Amelia scolded her. The two of them really did not like each other.

"Why are you two headed to Gemini?" Amelia asked.

"Tomoe wants to participate in the upcoming Queen's Blade." Kirito replied.

"What!? Are you insane!?" Amelia said. "You can't defeat Aldra!"

"I must." Tomoe said. "To protect Hinomoto. And just what do you know of Aldra?"

"She is unbeatable." Amelia said. "When she battles, she is like a demon. Not even my mother could stand a chance against her."

"Your mother?" Kirito inquired.

"She was the former queen before Aldra." Amelia said, and from the sound of her voice, it was clearly something that she did not like to talk about.

"I am sorry to here that." Kirito said.

Amelia gave him a look that Kirito could not identify.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Nothing," she said quickly turning her gaze away from her. "It's just that very few people have said that to me."

"Really!?" Kirito was surprised. "It seems only natural to say that."

"Thank you." Amelia said, her face was turning red.

"Now, if you don't mind, could you release our ship?" Tomoe said. "I would like to get back to our journey."

"You know, if you are interested, I could take to Gemini much faster than this ship could." Amelia said.

"What, captain!" Some crew members said. "You know we can't return to Gemini!"

"I know, but I have a way to get there without the ship." Amelia replied.

"You don't mean-"

"Yes, my Teleport Diamond." Amelia replied.

She pulled out a yellow gem from her pocket, and showed it to them.

"All I have to do is hold this gem and think of a place, then we instantly arrive there." Amelia said.

"You're giving that to them, captain?" One of the crewmen asked.

"No, I'm going with them." Amelia said.

"What!?" The crew were shocked and confused.

"I don't know if Tomoe can defeat Aldra herself, but I believe Kirito can defeat him with my help, and my magic items." Amelia said.

"I don't remember us saying you could come with us." Tomoe said.

"I think it is a good idea." Kirito said. "I have measured her skill and she is good."

Tomoe looked hurt for a brief instant. Kirito thought it was his imagination because he could not think of a reason for her to feel hurt.

"Alright, let's go." Amelia said.

"Right now?" Kirito asked.

"The sooner, the better, I always say." Amelia said.

"Okay." Kirito said.

The three of them put there hands on the gem, and suddenly it glowed with a powerful yellow light. They were forced to shut their eyes. Once the light faded and they opened their eyes, they were on land.

They were in Gemini.


	2. Part 2

Chapter 3

"Ugh, is a serious headache normal?" Kirito asked as politely as he could.

When they arrived instantly, their heads hurt very badly. The three of them arrived in a harbor town, on a street, at dawn. People were just starting to come out of their homes and get to their daily routines. There was something odd about the town. Kirito noticed instantly. As they walked through the town, they did not see a single girl.

The town had lots of fruit stands, and sales-stands. When Tomoe went to buy some food, the salesman gave her a fearful look. He gave her everything she wanted free.

"Hey," Kirito intended to ask a question. "Why aren't there any girls here?"

The guy he asked did not look like he wanted to talk. He quickly ran away.

"Kirito." Tomoe was also aware of the weirdness of the town.

"What do you think?" Kirito asked.

"They are afraid of something." Tomoe replied.

"Ya, you're right." Amelia said. "I think I know how find out."

She grabbed a wooden box and cleared her throat.

"Hey, everybody!" She yelled. "We know something is wrong here, and we want you to tell us what it is. If you do, we will owe you a favor, and that can come in handy. The three of us are powerful warriors."

That sent the villagers running. Tomoe scolded her.

"Did you seriously think that would work?!" Tomoe shouted.

"Hey!" Someone signaled them to come to him.

It was a guy in a black cloak, hiding his face. The guy had a rough voice, and dirty hands.

"You wish to know why there are no girls in this village, correct?" The man asked.

"Yes." Kirito replied.

"They have all been kidnapped by the ghosts of Amara." The man said. "It all started one month ago. Suddenly, these black ghosts come to the village and possess the girls. Once possessed, they say, "We must rebuild the kingdom of Amara" and head to the old ruins."

"Why hasn't anyone gone to retrieve them?" Amelia asked.

"They refuse to leave and they even attack those who try to bring them back." The man said.

"Why are you telling us this?" Kirito asked.

"You said you would owe me a favor if I told the problem." He said. "I want you to save the girls, please! My wife is among them!"

Kirito said they would without a second of hesitation.

"Are you sure about this?" Amelia said. "Dealing with ghosts can be a handful."

"I don't care if I have to fight an army of them," Kirito said. "These people need our help."

"I agree." Tomoe said.

The three of them were given horses by the man that gave them the information. He also gave them a lot of water, since they would be traveling across the desert. They rode until sunset. When the moon rose, the three of them made camp. Tomoe made a fire, because at night the desert becomes as cold as it is hot during the day. She also treated them to a special fruit juice with both Kirito and Amelia. After Amelia and Kirito fell asleep, Tomoe had trouble falling asleep. No matter how hard she tried, she could not sleep. That is when she decided to go for a walk.

A cloud of purple smoke appeared and engulfed her before she could even think about reacting. Just as quickly as it appeared, the cloud disappeared. However, Tomoe was no longer in a sandy desert, but in a pyramid-shaped structure with torches on the wall. On one side of the room was a throne on top of some stairs.

"Hello there." The woman sitting in the throne said.

This woman had a crown made to resemble like a snake and wore silk clothes. She wore many necklaces and rings made of rubies, gold, sapphires, emeralds, etc. Her hair was shoulder-length and her eyes were blue. In her hand, she held a short staff that was black with a carving of a cat's head on the top.

"Who are you and what is this place!?" Tomoe demanded.

"You are in the temple of Amara." She replied. "I am Princess Menace."

"Amara!?" Tomoe remembered that the man who sent them said something about saying they would rebuild Amara.

"Are you responsible for the girls disappearing from the village!?" Tomoe asked.

"I enlightened them." Menace said. "Showed them a great purpose. The rebuilding of Amara."

"What gives you the right to decide their purpose!?" Tomoe shouted.

"You dare say I am unfit to rule them!" Menace replied. "I will show the grand purpose I showed them, and then you will obey me."

"Never!" Tomoe replied. "I shall defeat you, and free them from your enslavement."

"We are not slaves!" Voices behind her yelled.

When Tomoe turned around, she saw dozens of girls of different ages. However, none of them were over the age of forty. Some of them wore bronze armor, other wore white silk. The ones with armor carried swords in their hands. All of them had a happy expression on their faces.

"We were awaken to our fate as servants of Amara by Princess Menace." All of the them simultaneously, with smiles on their faces.

"I don't know what you did to them but I will undo it." Tomoe said as she turned back to Menace.

To her surprise, Menace was not sitting on her throne anymore. A hand touched her shoulder. Instinctively, she instantly drew her sword and struck the air behind her.

"You missed." Menace said.

Now, she stood behind Tomoe once again. This time, when Tomoe tried to strike her, she avoided it instead of disappearing. It was as if she moved like lightning. Tomoe continued her attempts to attack her, but she was still able to dodge with ease.

_How can she move this fast!? _Tomoe thought.

"I am not moving fast at all." Menace spoke as if she heard Tomoe's thoughts. "You are just slow."

Suddenly, Tomoe's arms felt heavy. Her vision started to blur, and her breathing became heavy. It was getting harder and harder to move. There was a sharp pain in her shoulder, but she could not respond to it. On her shoulder, there was a small black-beetle, that glowed with a purple light. That was the same shoulder the Menace had placed her hand on.

"The creature on your shoulder is a Energy Beetle." Menace said. "It feeds on the very energy of another living creature. Have no fear, it will not kill you, just put you to sleep. Upon your awakening, you shall be a servant of Amara."

Unable to stay awake any longer, Tomoe passed out.

That morning, Amelia and Kirito woke to find Tomoe gone. They called out for her, but she did not reply. Amelia saw a structure a few miles away from them when they went looking. In about an hour, they reached this building, which turned out to be a pyramid. At the entrance, stood statues of black cats that were fifteen feet tall. The rest of the structure was made of stone.

"What is this?" Kirito asked.

"Most likely the ruins of an ancient civilization." Amelia replied. "Looks about a few thousand years old."

"You can seriously tell how old it is just by looking at it?" Kirito was surprised.

"Can't you?" She smirked.

"Well, do you think Tomoe is inside?" Kirito asked. "Could she have been taken, like the other girls?"

"I doubt that." Amelia said. "Tomoe has a strong will. Even though I have only known her a short time, that much is clear."

As they walked through the ruins, a questioned formed in Kirito's mind.

"Hey, Amelia, why did you decide to come on this adventure with us?" He asked.

"You're going after Aldra," she replied. "With your help, I may be able to avenge my mother."

"Do you have any regrets about leaving behind your crew?" Kirito asked.

"Not now that I know they will not replace me." Amelia said. "When I was in danger, they risked their lives to save me. So I know I matter to them. That's a fact."

"I envy you." Kirito said. "Having so many friends like that. Wish I had that."

"Hey, what are you talking about?" Amelia asked. "You have friends, right?"

"You and Tomoe." Kirito replied. "Beyond that, I do not know."

Kirito then had to explain his amnesia to Amelia. She was pretty shaken.

"You really can not remember your life before a few days ago?!" Amelia was shocked.

"Ya." He said. "I wonder if I have any friends or family that care about me. Who was I before this?"

"Don't worry." Amelia grabbed Kirito's hand. "I am sure that you have people that love you. Even if you don't, you still have Tomoe and I."

"Thanks," Kirito said as a tear ran down his cheek.

Then, suddenly, a cloud of purple smoke appeared and blinded them for a second. Once they could see again, they were what must have been the heart of the pyramid. They were in the same place Tomoe ended up last night. Menace sat on her throne like before, only now Tomoe stood beside her. At first, they could not tell it was Tomoe. She was not wearing her usual Shrine Priestess outfit. Instead, she wore bronze armor and her expression looked unusually happy.

"Tomoe!" Kirito yelled when he saw her.

Four other girls ran in front of him and blocked his path. Each of them had a spear pointed at him. The weirdest thing was, they were all smiling, just like Tomoe.

"Men are not welcome in my temple!" Menace shouted. "I, Menace, princess of Amara, command you to leave. The girl will stay and become my servant."

"Excuse me!" Amelia said.

"What are you doing, Tomoe?" Kirito asked. "Come down here."

"I only obey Lady Menace." She replied.

The way she spoke made it sound as if she were disgusted by the very sight of Kirito. However, she still maintained her smile. Kirito could easy tell there was something wrong with her.

"What have you done to her!?" Kirito demanded.

No one replied to him this time.

"Hey, he asked a question!" Amelia said.

"I have given her a grand purpose." Menace said when Amelia spoke. "She has become my servant, as you will, Amelia."

"How do you know my name?!" Amelia demanded.

"I told her." Tomoe replied this time. "I told Lady Menace that you probably come here looking for me. She decided to make you her servant, Amelia. You should be overjoyed."

"Jeez, she really messed with your head." Amelia said. "You must be under some sort of powerful spell to betray us."

"I am not under a spell!" Tomoe's voice made it sound like she was genuinely shocked by what Amelia had suggested. "I have merely discovered my true purpose in life. Being Lady Menace's servant and helping to rebuild the great kingdom of Amara."

"Release our friend from your spell!" Kirito commanded.

"I've had enough of your very existence!" Menace said. "My servants, destroy him."


End file.
